Trigger actuating mechanism



Nov. 14, 1933. w. l.. NAHM Er Al.

THIGGER ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed March 14, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l l NVENTORSA wml/wm Mr/14 Firing NOV. 14, 1933. w NAHM Er AL 1,934,732

TRIGGER ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed March 14, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1,1111 1 lllllllllflfl! Patented Nov. 14, 1933 Y 1,934,732 s Y Ternera scrum-rms MECHANISM Warren L. Nahm, Gakland'; and George Ercwn, San Francisco, Calif., assignors to Bankers Protection Co., San Francisco, Calif., a corperatien of Nevada Applicaties March 14, 1932. serial No. 598,634

1l Claims.

This invention relates to a trigger actuating mechanism particularly intended for use in connection with trigger actuated signaling devices, alarm devices, and the like, one application of the invention being .illustrated in a co-pending application filed by M. C.- White and G. W. Brown, September 9th, 1931, Serial Number 561,980,

entitled Security bag.

The object oi the present invention is to generally improve vand simplify the construction and operation oftrigger actuating mechanisms; zto provide a trigger actuating mechanism which is adapted to be either` manually or mechanically actuated; to provide a trigger -actuating mechanism which is automatically detached during actuation of the trigger; to provide a trigger actuating mechanism which can be extended any distance desired` for convenient or secret operation; to'provide a trigger actuatingmechanism wherebyy alock may be actuated; and further, to provide a trigger'actuating mechanism which can be readily and quickly connected with a trigger and'rendered operable or inoperable as conditions may demand.

' The trigger actuating mechanism is shown by way of illustration inthe accompanying drawings, in which- Fig'. lis a sideelevation insection of a security bag showingtheapplication of theV trigger actuating mechanism.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal vvertical sectional. view of a iiring head and a portion of a cartridge case attached thereto, said view also showing the trigger actuating mechanism wherebythe ring head is actuated.

Fig. 3 is a side elevationoi thev housing in which f the trigger actuating mechanism is mounted.

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of thetrigger actuating arm. v

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of a shutter arm.

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross section takenon line VI-VI of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a'longitudinalv vertical section of a portion of the frame members and 5a of the bag, said section showing the application of an automatically actuated locking mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a vertical vcross section takenon line VIH-VIII of Fig. .7.

Fig. 9`is an' enlarged verticalsection Vtaken on lne'IXe-IX of Fig'. f f

Referringto'thezdrawings'in detail and particularly Fig.;1, A indicates' a'hand-bag having a bottom portion 2, and end portionsV 3 andf4. The .upper'rportion of .the bag is providedV with ya (el. ra-se) pair of frames 5` which are pivotally connected at opposite ends as indicated at 6 Ato permit the bag to be opened and closed. A suitablelock, hereinafter to'be described, isprovided and handles, such as indicatedat 7,4to' permit the bag to c be readily carried.

Formed interiorly of the Abag and in oneside l thereof is a pocket generally indicated at B. This pocket forms a receptacle for a iiring headC and a cartridge case D; The lower end of the pocket is open and so is the registering portion of the bottom 2 of the bag so as topermit the cartridge case to beinserted or removed and also to permit shots and smoke to be discharged through the bottom ofA the bag, as will hereinafter be described.

The firing head C containercontains a trigger 9, ring pins on a lever 10 pivotally mounted in the head, as indicated` at 11, and it further contains a spring12 anda series' of connected links E which are tripped by the trigger and through whichmovement is imparted to actuate the ring pins. The trigger 9 is, in this instance, operated through means of a trigger actuating mechanism generally indicated at F. This mechanism consists of a pull wire 14a having a loop 14 formed at one end. The pull wire is attached to a pivoted arm 40 and this is'connected with trigger 9 I through means of a Wire 43.

The bag illustrated in Fig. 1 is knownr as va security bag andis-particularly intended for the transfer of money and other valuables from one bank or place of business to another. Messengers carrying valuables are from time to time stopped or interfered with by holdup men and the like, and the purpose of thevinvention is that of protecting the messenger, and secondly, in providing means for detecting or tracing'the whereaboutsr of the-holdup manafter the bag has beentaken from or surrendered by the messenger.

VThe messenger, equipped with a bag of this character carries thebagby means of the handles '7 and one fingeris inserted through the loop 14 ofthe pull wire which actuates `the trigger'actuating mechanism generally indicated vat F. 'If the messenger is held up, Yhis instructionsfrom his employerv require him to freely hand the bag to the' holdup man, but in so doing, he retains the lloop 14 of the pull wire about his nger, thus in vhanding the bag to the holdup mank he actuates the 'trigger actuatingmechanism and this in turn exerts apull on the trigger 9. -When this is pulled the trigger mechanism is tripped causing firing of the percussion'caps indicated at 15. These ignite a quickburning fuse indicated at 16 and igniting smoke ejecting charges.

limpart movement tothe shutter.

this inrtu'rn ignites fuses, such as shown at 17 and 18, the fuses 17 igniting charges of explosive which fires a succession of shots andthe fuses 18 Hence, if the bag is handed over to a holdup man the triggerV is released during the transfer of the bag'without the holdup, man being aware of theV fact. .The quick burning fuse is ignited and this ignites the slow'burning fuses 1'? and 18, hence the holdup man will have an opportunity to get away or, at least, thinkthat he is getting away with the bag before he is alarmed by the Vhring'of the shots and the discharge of dense volumes of smoke from the bottom of the bag. In most instances, it is very likely that a holdup man will drop the bag and attempt to escape, but if he does not dol so, his whereabouts can easily be traced due to the dense -vohunes of smoke discharging;

A brief description of the mechanism contained in the firing head and the construction of the cartridge case is submitted-in this instance as this forms no part voi the present application. Furthermore, this part of the mechanism is described in complete detail in aco-pending application entitled ,Firing mechanism", ledNoVember th, 1931, Serial l\lurnber.577,994. The trigger actuating mechanism consists of a housing generally' indicated at F. It is :provided with two side walls 20 and 21, a connecting bottom section 22and a side flange 23 whereby it'is'V riveted .or otherwise secured to one` of the frames 5 or the interior-surface of the bag as shown in Fig. l. The' upper portion of the .housing is open as indicatedat 24 and a second openingiis formed in the bottom portion oflthe housing as indicatedl at 25. This opening is', however, normally maintained closedby means of a shutter arm generally indicated at'26. This shutter 'consists of .two arms, see Fig. 5,and a connecting bottoni section on which-is formed a projection 27 adapted to be engaged by thenger to The shutter is pivotally mounted on'a pin 28 extending through the housing and it is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 3 by means of a spring. 29,'

one end of the spring engaging the'shutter while the other end engages the housing. The function of the shutter will hereinafter be described. Pivotally mounted on the shaft 28-within theV housing is a trigger actuating arm such asshown at 4G lin Figs. 2 and 4. --The lower end of the arm is provided with an open ended slot 41 Aand-'ther' opposite'side is Yprovided with perforated lugs 42v to which` a or cable'liS isattached. ThisV wire passes through a tube or the like whichvisy connected with a firing head and the opposite end of the wire isv connectedvwith the trigger 9 as shown in-Fig. 2.l A pull wire 14a having a loop 11i at one endand a bead or a head member 14h at the opposite end is employed.v The bead is inserted in the open ended slot 41 and when a-pull is exerted'on-the wire 14a through means of the loop "le, arm fiilwill swing about the pivot 28 in the direction of arrow a and willnally assume the dotted iine position indicated atlaL In this position-thebead end of the wirepulls out of the slot il and-the pull wire is thus released with relation to the trigger actuating arm-and will be retained ,by the messenger as it is attached to one ofl 'his fingers. The feature' of having a trigger actuating mechanism, a portion of-,which is detachable or releasable', is important as when the bag is handed by the messenger to the holdup man vit is essentialthat'the trigger mechanism shall be actuated andin-such a-mannerthat the attention of the holdup man is not attracted. Ir" the pull'wire was not releasable it'might be diicult forY the messenger to transfer the bag and at the same time pull the trigger but, in this instance, it is vaccomplished without attracting any attention asthe pull wire is retained on the finger and falls directly into Ythe handof the messenger when the bag is handed over and is thus notA only hidden from-view but is, furthermore, substantially noiseless in operation.

The trigger actuating mechanism here shown maybe rendered operative-or inoperative as desired. VIf the pull Vwire is detached the mechanism is rendered inoperative as there is no way oi reaching the trigger actuating arm 40. On the other hand, if the pullwire is attached as shown in Fig. 2, the trigger-actuating device is operative and will exert va pull on the trigger the mornenta pull Vis exerted on thewire 14a. Hence, the pull wire is only attached when the messenger is going to carry the security bag from one place to another and it should be detached the moment the bag is delivered, and similarly; it should be detached when the bag is notin luse so as to prevent other employees from tampering with the bag and accidentally setting 01T the firing mechanism. Y Y

In order that the pull wire may be readilyfattached or detached theshutter 26 is employed. The shutter is pulled rearwardlyin the direction of arrow b and as such uncovers the, lower ,opening 25. The beaded end of the pullwire isY then inserted through theV upper openingY 14o and pushed downwardly through the housing F where it will finally pass out throughr theV opening 25. The messenger then takes the Vbeaded end ofthe pull wire and pushes itv into theopenY ended 'slot' 41 of the trigger actuating arm 40and then releases' the shutter which swings back `due to spring action. The moment the shutterA closes, the beaded end of the pull wire will be retained as there is not suicient space between the end of the trigger actuating arm and the curved bottom of" the housing F to permitit to Vbe detached.y On 'the other hand, it is automaticallydetached when ythe trigger actuating arm 40 reaches horizontal position as clearance is provided at that point between the slottedY end of the arm 40 and the housing to permit the beaded end of the wire to be pulled out of the slot; Furthermore, lit will Abe noted thatthe end of the arm 40 isslightly bent, see Fig. 4, soas .to assist in releasing the beaded end of the pull wire when it reaches the point where it shouldvbe released.

,Where a mechanism ofv this character is attached to a Vsecurity bag,fsuch as shown in Fig. 1,

it is often desirable to automatically lock the bag to prevent the robber from opening the bag, removing the contents and then-leaving the bag at the scene of the robbery or in the immediate vicinity. In fact, if a robber could immediately open the bag andA remove the contents quickly,

it is possible that he could get away before any audible' or visible signal or alarm is given and to that extent partially defeat thep'urpose or protection sought. A modified form or" the invention embodying a locking mechanism operable through means of the trigger actuating mechanism is, accordingly, shown in Figs. ''to 9.

In this instance, housing'F Yis. provided with lan' extension 50 in which isslidably mounted a locking bolt 51. The bolt isprovided with a .collar 52 and a spring 53fis interposed between the collar and one end of the extension 50. When the bolt is retracted, that is, to assume unlocked .po-

sition, spring 53 is placed'undericmpression and, as such, project the bolttoelocking position when this is released. One end. of the bolt is provided with a notch 54. and this is normally engaged byv aA latch 55, see Figs. 7 and"8. The latch is pivotally mounted at 56 and it is provided with a tripping arm 57 which lies in the path of the arm to which thev pull wire 14a is connected. A spring 58 is interposed between the latch` arm and the housing so as to' normally secure the latch inV locking position with relation to the locked bolt, but when the trip arm 57. is engaged the latch is swung about its pivot 56 and the bolt is released and, when it is released, spring 53 will project the bolt into locking position.

I Before proceeding further with the description, it should Vbe stated that the .security bag is provided with a pair of frame members 5 and 5a which are pivotally connected at 6, see Figs. 1 and 9. The housing 22, together with the extension. 50 formed thereon, is riveted, or otherwise secured, to the innerframe member 5c while the outer frame has secured thereto by means of a rivet 59 and S-shaped locking member 60. VWhen the bag is closed the lower end of the S-shaped member enters the outer end of the housing eX- tension 50 and as such lies in the path of the locking bolt 51, and when the locking bolt is released, it passes in front of the S-shaped member, as shown in Fig. 9, and as such locksv or secures the frame members 5 and 5a against being opened.

In actual operation, if the pull wire 14a is pulled by means of the loop 14, arm 40 will swing about its pivot 28 and as such will not only actuate the trigger 9 but it will also engage the trip arm 57 of the latch 55, thus swinging the latch about its pivot 56 to a position where it will move out of the notch 54 andthus release the locking bolt 51. This, when released, is propelled forwardly by the spring 53, which has previously been placed under compression, and. the forward end of the bolt 51 will, accordingly, engage the cooperating locking member 60 and thus secure l the bag against being opened, hence preventing a holdup man from opening the bag and removing the contents, as previously described.

Another important feature of the present invention is the provision of a lock which can not be opened by a key mechanism of any character whatsoever, as the locking mechanism constructed as here shown can only be released by drilling, cutting, or otherwise removing the rivet 59, which secures the cooperating locking member 60. Hence, if the bag has been locked accidentally, or otherwise, it is necessary to bring the bag to a shop or to a person equipped with the proper tools so that the rivet 59 may be removed. After it has been removed .the bag may be opened and the bolt may be returned to released position and latched by the latch 55. The cooperating locking member 60 may then be reinserted and fastened with a new rivet and the bag is again ready for use and operation. Obviously, a holdup man can not take the time to cut away or drill the rivet 59 as the time itwould require would be too great, that is, the visual and audible alarm mechanism would take effect before work of this kind could be accomplished and removing of the rivet by the holdup man would accordingly be prevented.

While the trigger actuating mechanism is particularly intendedk for use in connection with a security bag such as here illustrated, it is obvi- 1 ous that it may be otherwise applied. For instance, a device of this character may be installed in a home -as a burglar alarm. In that case, the wire 14a may be attached to a door, a window, or thelike, and when these are opened a-pull will be .exertedv on the pull wire. During such opening .the trigger would be pulled and before the burglar could really become active shots would be redV and smoke would `commenceto discharge, thus frightening the burglar and at the same time awakening the occupants of vthe any movable part of the automobile so that if anunauthorized personattempted to drive away-f,

the trigger wouldbe pulled and thereby trip the ring mechanism. Hence, it will be understood that the pull wire may be either manually or mechanically actuated as desired.

While certain features of the present invention are more or less specifically described, `we wish it understood that various changes may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims. Similarly, that the materials and nish of the several parts employed may be such as .the manufacturer may decide, or varying conditions or uses may demand.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent isl. In a device having a trigger mechanism an actuator for said mechanism comprising a memis exerted when actuating the actuator, and means whereby one section is automatically detached from the device when the members have moved a predetermined distance while a pull is exerted. y

2. An actuatorv of the character described comprising a housing, a movable member lin the housing, an actuator detachably connected withf the movable member, and means for automatically releasing the actuator whereby it may be pulled free of the housing when the movable member has been actuated.

3. An actuator ofthe character described com-k prising a housing, a pivoted memberin the hous-v ing, an actuator detachably connected with the pivoted kmember, and means for automatically releasngthe actuator during swinging movement of the pivoted member whereby it may be pulled free of the housing.

4. An actuator of the character described comprising a housing, a pivoted member in the housing, an actuator detachably connected with the pivoted member, and means for automatically releasing the actuator when the pivoted member has swung a predetermined distance about its pivot whereby the actuator may be pulled free of the housing. A

5. An actuator of the character described comprising a housing, an arm pivotally mounted in the housing, said arm having an open ended slot formed in its free swinging end, a pull wire, and a head member on one end of the pull wire insertable in the slotted end of the arm, said arm and housing being so positioned that the pull wire will be automatically released therefrom during swinging movement of the arm.

yber consisting of two sections upon which a pull 6. An actuator of the character described comprisinga housing, an arm pivotally mounted in' the housing, said arm having an openended slotV able member on the actuator releasablefrom themechanism Yupon actuation of the trigger.

v8. The" combination with a trigger actuated mechanism, of a trigger actuator, adetachable member on the actuator, and means forv automatically releasing said detachable member upon actuation of the trigger whereby said member may be pulled free of the mechanism.

to a predetermined posi-l k9.A The combination with al trigger, actuated mechanism, of aflexible actuator extending to a point remotefrom'the trigger, and a` flexible detachable member whereby a pull is exertedto actuate `the trigger and said member being releasable upon actuation of the trigger. 10. The combination with a trigger actuated mechanism, of a exible actuator extending to a point remotefrom the trigger, a flexible detachable member whereby a pull is exerted to actuate the trigger, and means for automatically releasing the detachable member after ythe trigger is actuated. v

-11. Incombination with a bag having an alarm device therein, trigger means for setting off said alarm device, a member connected with Said trigger means :for movinglit to alarm position, and means vreleasing said member whereby it will-'be free of the bag when the trigger is in alarm position. A.

WARREN L. NAHM. GEORGE W; BROWN. 

